15% of Hongkongers will shun those who disagree on politics

Nearly 15 percent of Hong Kong residents would estrange themselves from those with opposing political views, including their family members or friends, Ming Pao Daily reported Thursday, citing a survey.

The University of Hong Kong Public Opinion Program conducted the poll for the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIE) from Oct. 23 to Nov. 6, about a month after the Occupy demonstration began.

Chan Lih-shing, a lecturer at HKIE in charge of the survey, was quoted as saying that more than 50 percent of the respondents said holding different political views would not affect their relationship with family or friends.

He said this showed that Hong Kong has not turned into a fractured society, as suggested by some commentators.

Chan said he hopes the government will set up a multilateral platform for communication and listen carefully to public opinion.

Nearly 48 percent of the more than 1,000 Hong Kong residents above 18 years of age interviewed were opposed to the Occupy movement, while 36 percent supported it and 16 percent were neutral.

Half the respondents said they did not trust the Hong Kong government.

The survey showed that 15.9 percent of respondents who always read news or commentaries online would take part in political assemblies, while only 5.4 percent of those who seldom read news online would do so.

Chan said the power of the internet can’t be ignored for mobilizing the public.

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